Keeping perishable produce items, such as fruits or vegetables, fresh has been a long-standing problem for consumers. Trying to ripen certain fruits, for instance, without allowing them to quickly spoil can be a challenge for many consumers. As an example, when exposed to the ambient temperatures of a typical home environment (e.g., between 69° Fahrenheit and 75° Fahrenheit), some fruits may quickly ripen, but bacteria or mold growth may be promoted, causing the fruit to quickly spoil. In an effort to maintain freshness, many consumers store perishable produce items in a refrigerator appliance. Typical refrigerator appliances have a cabinet that defines a chilled fresh food chamber maintained at a temperature between 32° Fahrenheit and 45° Fahrenheit. In particular, one or more drawers are often provided within the fresh food chamber to hold produce at the same temperature as the rest of the chilled refrigeration chamber.
Although a typical refrigerator appliance may preserve produce longer than if it were exposed to ambient home conditions, many additional problems may be created. For example, some produce may be prevented from quickly ripening within the relatively cold conditions of a chilled fresh food chamber. Moreover, many fruits and vegetables deteriorate at such conditions (e.g., temperatures around 40° Fahrenheit). However, meats and dairy products within the fresh food chamber may deteriorate at higher temperatures above 40° Fahrenheit. Humidity levels within the chilled fresh food chamber may also accelerate deterioration of produce. Furthermore, although different fruits or vegetables may preserve better at different conditions, the chilled fresh food chamber cannot be easily or specifically adjusted to accommodate such different conditions. Still further, some produce may emit certain gases (e.g., ethylene) that cannot be controlled within a typical drawer. In some cases, such cases may undesirably affect the ripening of adjacent fruits.
For many consumers, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to have multiple different refrigerator appliances that could be set at the ideal conditions for one or more types of produce. What's more, placing produce within a large, often opaque, appliance like a refrigerator appliance may increase the likelihood that an item of produce is forgotten and allowed to spoil.
Therefore, there is a need for a food preservation system that addresses one or more of the above-identified issues.